DMN Blog: Live from Oxnard X: Michael Strahan makes an appearance
by Tim MacMahon
Weather: 65 degrees and foggy.
No pads for the Cowboys this morning.
We're at the point of training camp where things start getting monotonous. Wade Phillips mentioned after yesterday's practice that he went to several "influential" players and his coaches to request help keeping the intensity up and focus sharp. Perhaps Wade figured that a day off from pads might help, not to mention give some bumps and bruises a chance to get better.
Follow the jump for all the scintillating details from today's non-contact action ...
10:56 -- Hard Knocks is working on an extremely intriguing storyline today. More on that later. .... Players are on the field, either warming up or standing around and shooting the bull.
11:03 -- Stretching just started. ... OLB DeMarcus Ware, who sat out yesterday after getting "dinged" Wednesday, is practicing. Of course, they aren't hitting this morning.
11:10 -- The ref crew is back this morning. ... More exciting news to come.
11:12 -- Wade Phillips gathered the troops around him for a post-stretching powwow. That's not a regular thing. I'm guessing it was something along the lines of, "Hey, I'm giving you a break by not putting pads on this morning, but that's no excuse to slack off." The Hard Knocks cameras and microphones caught every second. ... LBs Tearrius George (knee) and Tyson Smith (noggin) are working out off to the side.
11:14 -- Defense doing pursuit drills. Offense running plays vs. air. ... Crowd got fired up when T.O., sporting some blue spandex, caught a ball in the end zone.
11:16 -- Answering questions: I don't see any difference in where Roy Williams is lining up in the base defense, but I'll check on that one. He's no longer a nickel LB, having been replaced by Anthony Henry in that package. That was the closest he'd be to the line of scrimmage last season, but it's not like he made a lot of plays as a blitzer. ... I'd be very, very surprised if Danny Amendola doesn't at least make the last round of cuts. More on him later today. I think his roster spot will come down to whether the Cowboys decide to keep six WRs. Same goes with DBs. Do they decide to keep six CBs? If so, Alan Ball probably makes the roster. Five safeties? Then Dowayne Davis has a spot. I guarantee you none of the difficult roster decisions will be made based on what we've seen in the first week of training camp.
11:25 -- Per request, a Justin Rogers update: He's still getting reps as Bradie James' backup, but he's also spending some time at OLB, his position last season. The shift to inside LB is expected to be a learning process for a guy who played DE at SMU. Rogers established himself as a solid special teams player last season, which is why I like his chances to stick on the roster. It should be noted, though, that Bobby Carpenter is getting work at both inside LB spots.
11:28 -- Michael Strahan just walked into the VIP area. Not sure how warmly the loquacious ex-Giants DE will be welcomed by the Cowboys. He's here prepping for his TV gig on Fox.
11:31 -- Well, Wade Phillips did give Strahan a warm welcome. They exchanged a man-hug, aka a dap-and-wrap. Now, Roy Williams is chatting up the ex-Giant. ... Big cheers from the crowd when T.O. caught a post route vs. air. Miles Austin just had a drop on a deep ball that he had to extend for, though he didn't have to leave his feet. ... Undrafted WR Daniel Polk, a South Oak Cliff product, is back at practice after missing some time with a sore hamstring.
11:39 -- Another media celebrity sighting: Sports Illustrated's Peter King is here. Let's hope he's been brushing up on his Texan. .... Cowboys doing position drills that aren't good live blogging material.
11:43 -- Horn just sounded. About to get some action. Need to head to the field to get a good look. ... By the way, CBs Alan Ball (ankle) and Quincy Butler (hamstring) are sitting out again. ... Be back in a bit.
11:50 -- Well, I thought we were going to get some action, but the 11-on-11 stuff is half-speed. This is basically a glorified walkthrough. The players are getting mental reps while taking a physical break. ... On the bright side, Roy Williams just broke up a pass.
11:54 -- Nick Folk is working on kickoffs on the other field. They're consistently going to about the 5-yard line with decent hang time. ... CB Terence Newman, who will sit out at least another two and a half weeks with a strained groin, is doing very slow drills with the big elastic cord tied around his waist and held on the other end by athletic trainer Britt Brown. Newman's shirt, a T.O. freebie, has a touch of irony. The chest reads: "iPractice".
11:58 -- Now working on kick coverage at half speed. ... To answer the question about trick plays, they have a series of end-arounds and reverses for Isaiah Stanback. Pretty sure there's a pass play or two in there. I have seen Patrick Crayton throw a post to Sam Hurd off a reverse in OTAs or minicamp. Crayton has a cannon, as does Stanback. ... No need to be concerned about Tony Romo. He had one so-so practice. Barring injury, go ahead and pencil him in for another 4,000-yard, 35-TD season. Matter of fact, you could argue that the Cowboys' passing game will be improved because of the development of Hurd and Miles Austin and addition of Felix Jones.
12:06 -- Wade Phillips has separated from Michael Strahan and is spending some quality time with Adam "Pacman" Jones. ... Horn just sounded. ... I'm gonna head down to the field just in case something exciting happens.
Weather: 65 degrees and foggy.
No pads for the Cowboys this morning.
We're at the point of training camp where things start getting monotonous. Wade Phillips mentioned after yesterday's practice that he went to several "influential" players and his coaches to request help keeping the intensity up and focus sharp. Perhaps Wade figured that a day off from pads might help, not to mention give some bumps and bruises a chance to get better.
Follow the jump for all the scintillating details from today's non-contact action ...
10:56 -- Hard Knocks is working on an extremely intriguing storyline today. More on that later. .... Players are on the field, either warming up or standing around and shooting the bull.
11:03 -- Stretching just started. ... OLB DeMarcus Ware, who sat out yesterday after getting "dinged" Wednesday, is practicing. Of course, they aren't hitting this morning.
11:10 -- The ref crew is back this morning. ... More exciting news to come.
11:12 -- Wade Phillips gathered the troops around him for a post-stretching powwow. That's not a regular thing. I'm guessing it was something along the lines of, "Hey, I'm giving you a break by not putting pads on this morning, but that's no excuse to slack off." The Hard Knocks cameras and microphones caught every second. ... LBs Tearrius George (knee) and Tyson Smith (noggin) are working out off to the side.
11:14 -- Defense doing pursuit drills. Offense running plays vs. air. ... Crowd got fired up when T.O., sporting some blue spandex, caught a ball in the end zone.
11:16 -- Answering questions: I don't see any difference in where Roy Williams is lining up in the base defense, but I'll check on that one. He's no longer a nickel LB, having been replaced by Anthony Henry in that package. That was the closest he'd be to the line of scrimmage last season, but it's not like he made a lot of plays as a blitzer. ... I'd be very, very surprised if Danny Amendola doesn't at least make the last round of cuts. More on him later today. I think his roster spot will come down to whether the Cowboys decide to keep six WRs. Same goes with DBs. Do they decide to keep six CBs? If so, Alan Ball probably makes the roster. Five safeties? Then Dowayne Davis has a spot. I guarantee you none of the difficult roster decisions will be made based on what we've seen in the first week of training camp.
11:25 -- Per request, a Justin Rogers update: He's still getting reps as Bradie James' backup, but he's also spending some time at OLB, his position last season. The shift to inside LB is expected to be a learning process for a guy who played DE at SMU. Rogers established himself as a solid special teams player last season, which is why I like his chances to stick on the roster. It should be noted, though, that Bobby Carpenter is getting work at both inside LB spots.
11:28 -- Michael Strahan just walked into the VIP area. Not sure how warmly the loquacious ex-Giants DE will be welcomed by the Cowboys. He's here prepping for his TV gig on Fox.
11:31 -- Well, Wade Phillips did give Strahan a warm welcome. They exchanged a man-hug, aka a dap-and-wrap. Now, Roy Williams is chatting up the ex-Giant. ... Big cheers from the crowd when T.O. caught a post route vs. air. Miles Austin just had a drop on a deep ball that he had to extend for, though he didn't have to leave his feet. ... Undrafted WR Daniel Polk, a South Oak Cliff product, is back at practice after missing some time with a sore hamstring.
11:39 -- Another media celebrity sighting: Sports Illustrated's Peter King is here. Let's hope he's been brushing up on his Texan. .... Cowboys doing position drills that aren't good live blogging material.
11:43 -- Horn just sounded. About to get some action. Need to head to the field to get a good look. ... By the way, CBs Alan Ball (ankle) and Quincy Butler (hamstring) are sitting out again. ... Be back in a bit.
11:50 -- Well, I thought we were going to get some action, but the 11-on-11 stuff is half-speed. This is basically a glorified walkthrough. The players are getting mental reps while taking a physical break. ... On the bright side, Roy Williams just broke up a pass.
11:54 -- Nick Folk is working on kickoffs on the other field. They're consistently going to about the 5-yard line with decent hang time. ... CB Terence Newman, who will sit out at least another two and a half weeks with a strained groin, is doing very slow drills with the big elastic cord tied around his waist and held on the other end by athletic trainer Britt Brown. Newman's shirt, a T.O. freebie, has a touch of irony. The chest reads: "iPractice".
11:58 -- Now working on kick coverage at half speed. ... To answer the question about trick plays, they have a series of end-arounds and reverses for Isaiah Stanback. Pretty sure there's a pass play or two in there. I have seen Patrick Crayton throw a post to Sam Hurd off a reverse in OTAs or minicamp. Crayton has a cannon, as does Stanback. ... No need to be concerned about Tony Romo. He had one so-so practice. Barring injury, go ahead and pencil him in for another 4,000-yard, 35-TD season. Matter of fact, you could argue that the Cowboys' passing game will be improved because of the development of Hurd and Miles Austin and addition of Felix Jones.
12:06 -- Wade Phillips has separated from Michael Strahan and is spending some quality time with Adam "Pacman" Jones. ... Horn just sounded. ... I'm gonna head down to the field just in case something exciting happens.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:41 PM
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